-
12 Easy Ways to Survive the Heat Without Air Conditioning
Summer is in full force here at 7300 feet. And that means it’s hot. Almost 90°F in the shade hot. Now I realize, that if you live in a place where it regularly gets to 100°F or more that 90° is nothing. You’re probably asking, “So what? Just stay inside with the AC.” However, when you live at 7300 feet, especially in an older house, you don’t have AC. It used to be that we didn’t really need or want it except for a week or two in August each year. However, summers have been getting hotter, and we are seeing more and more days above 85° where we live.…
-
Simple DIY Fire Starters You Can Make in Minutes
Depending on where you live, winter is coming. While it’s been much warmer here than last year, we’ve had to start a fire a few nights already. We are in love with our wood stove. Starting a fire in it, however, it not always a simple matter. Right now, we’ve had no snow so our woodpile is still relatively dry. It’s not hard to get a good fire going with only some paper, kindling, and a match. Once the winter weather sets in, it’s a different story. That’s where a good homemade fire starter comes in. These fire starters will save you time and frustration. They are also created entirely…
-
Planting a Year’s Worth of Garlic
Garlic is one of the easiest garden plants you can grow. If you’re only going to grow a small assortment of produce, I highly recommend growing at least a few heads. In fact, I’ve grown a year’s worth in a 4ft x 6ft garden bed back when we had a tiny lot in town! If you haven’t planted your garlic yet don’t worry! Just the other day I planted our 2022 crop. As long as you get it in before the ground freezes you’ll be good. (Though one year I didn’t and was out there for hours with a screwdriver chiseling away at the ground to plant. We still got…
-
Managing the Homestead While Working a Full Time Job
Running a homestead is hard work. There’s early mornings, long hours, and at times, back breaking labor. It’s a full time job. No one ever said this is an easy lifestyle, but it is a life full of beauty, wonder, and most of the time, peace. However, running a homestead doesn’t exactly pay the bills. Sure, many homesteaders out there (many on YouTube or in the blogosphere) are making a full time income on their homestead. I envy them. However, they will be the first to tell you making an income from this life take a lot of hard work. Someday I hope our homestead will be able to pay…
-
Early August Garden Tour
At 7300 feet, August is when the garden starts to come alive. The spring crops of radish and peas have since been pulled out. Spring carrots are ready for harvest. Squash is finally starting to flower, and there are tiny tomatoes, peppers, and green beans hanging on the plants. August is when it finally starts feeling like a garden. By the end of the month, the garden summer vegetables will be ready to begin harvesting, and there will be days with a fall chill on the air. So here at the beginning, I thought I’d give you a tour of the garden in photos. It won’t look the same as…
-
Welcome to the Homestead
This blog has been a long time coming. I’ve toyed with the idea of starting a blog off and on for the past several years and now is the time. A little about our homestead. My wonderful husband and I bought our homestead back in 2018, and after a few months of paint, fixing things up, and making the place ours, we moved in in October. It’s hard to believe that we haven’t even been here two years; it seems like this is where we’ve always been. If you’ve ever had a house that felt like home the moment you stepped over the threshold, you’ll know what I mean. After…
